Tauranga and Mount Maunganui aren’t simply summer destinations — there are many reasons to visit in the off-season too, writes local Jamie Troughton

Get out and about

Tauranga Moana is basically aquatic heaven, with so many ways to sample some saline therapy or get some river revival. Start at the Waimarino Water & Adventure Park, where four-time Olympian Luuka Jones first learned to paddle, and radiate outwards. Boating, fishing, surfing, rafting — it’s all there, ready to quench your H2O fixation.

If you’re more adventurous, grab a kayak and head around (but don’t land on) Motuotao Island, just off the Mount Maunganui coast. It’s a wildlife sanctuary, with soaring cliffs and crystal-clear water. Surf life-saving tip: don’t attempt this trip on an inflatable swan or unicorn, using jandals as paddles. Don’t try to swim out to impress your mates and don’t . . . yeah, you get it. Just don’t.

For an incredible dolphin day on the briny, check out Orca Wild Adventures — in season, you get to snorkel at either Tu¯hua or Mo¯tı¯tı¯ Islands, with an astonishing array of wildlife on the way. Dolphin Seafaris also have the odd mid-winter photography excursion, on those incredible glassy days where horizon and ocean seem intertwined.

Foraging for your food

There’s a special place in surf lifesaving hearts for Sidetrack Cafe, tucked under the shadow of Mauao, equally because of the beautiful brews and Petra-lee’s amazing ability to warmly greet seemingly every customer by name.

Breadhead in Tauranga does a mean jalapeno stick, Flaveur and Rise are both bakery bliss, while it’s a massively tough call to choose between Henry and Ted or Spongedrop for the best

cheese scones in the known